Believing is Seeing
by kittiesfrompluto
Summary: Jack Frost just finished saving the world, and now that he has his memories back he wants to find himself. He just didn't expect that he'd do that by finding someone else. When Wind leads him to a tower hidden in the woods, it'll change his life forever. Rated T for mild language and eventual mild adult themes.
1. One Battle Won, Another Just Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians or Tangled. If I did, this would be canon. Rated T for mild language and eventual mild adult themes.

AN: It's relevant to mention that this starts right where RotG ends.

I know the canon timelines are waaaay off, but hey. Creative license and all that.

Chapter 1

The sleigh took off from the ice followed by cheers, and Jack kept waving to Jamie and the others until the sleigh entered the portal.

Bunny leaned back on the seat groaning, and closed his eyes. North, Tooth and Sandy showed no reaction, but to Jack this was still new. He stared in wonder at the kaleidoscopic colors and images of the portal, until they reached the other end of it, and the sled was touching down once more in North's cave/garage.

Bunny hopped off of the sled gratefully and said, "Well, see ya next time," before tapping his foot on the ground. Before he could drop into the tunnel that opened, though, Jack stopped him.

"Wait!" They all turned to him, and he asked, "So, what do we do now?"

"We watch for the lights," Tooth explained. "That's the signal that we're needed. Otherwise, we get back to work."

Bunny snorted at that. "Not that what Frost does could even be called work."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with loving your job," Jack retorted.

"Whatever, mate," Bunny shot before dropping into the tunnel, which closed behind him.

"Huh, and here I thought that he was starting to like me," Jack mused.

Sandy shrugged, while Tooth put a comforting hand on his shoulder. North, though, was the one to speak up. "Bunny can be that way, even with us. He's still upset about losing Easter. Give him time, he'll calm down."

"So we just go our separate ways then?" Jack reiterated.

"Yup," Tooth nodded.

Jack stuck his hand in his pocket, and came out with the tube containing his teeth. "Could I… hang on to these for a bit?"

"Of course you can, Jack." Tooth gave him a hug before the wind carried him away, the other three Guardians waving to him as he went.

He waved back and then turned around, staring at the tooth box. "I will find where I came from," He said determinedly.

OoOoO

Meanwhile, many miles away, there was a party going on. Everybody in the kingdom was celebrating; almost everybody, at least. The guest of honor was absent, instead resting peacefully in her crib.

One person, however, was not satisfied with joining the revelry unless it meant seeing the new princess.

With all of the guards laughing and drinking with their friends, it was laughably easy for a dark figure to steal its way into the palace through a window and wind up looming over the reason for the party.

The girl was laying in her crib in purple pajamas. Splayed around her was more blonde hair than any newborn had a right to.

The girl woke, cooing happily, as the figure removed its hood to reveal a woman with curled graying hair and wrinkled skin. The woman reached out and caught a lock of blond hair in her fingers as she began to sing.

 _"_ _Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine…"_

The girl's hair began to glow as the song went on, and the woman's skin tightened and her hair darkened to black.

 _"_ _Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine…"_

Even her voice became smoother as she continued singing. She smiled hungrily, pulling a knife from within the depths of her robe. As she cut the lock of hair, however, it turned from golden blonde to brown, and the glowing stopped.

The woman's hair turned back to gray, and her skin began wrinkling again. "No," she gasped, looking at her hands desperately. What could she do?

Suddenly, she heard voices from outside the door.

"Hey, did you hear singing?"

"Yeah, it came from the princess's room."

The woman's face twisted into a snarl as she pulled her hood back up over her head and swept up the baby, disappearing through the window just as the doors burst open behind her.

The only thing left in the crib was a lock of brown hair.


	2. Chasing the Past, Racing for the Future

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Gaurdians or Tangled. If i did, this would be canon.

AN: I am so terribly sorry for taking so long to update this. I know you've probably read all sorts of excuses, and you may not even believe me, but I actually had this chapter finished before I even posted the first one. I was planning on waiting a few days to a week, but I just got distracted by... everything. My grandmother went into the hospital, and she needed something done every night that the nurses weren't trained to do; me and my mom, however, are, and since my mom has a job, she couldn't stay, so I did. It was a very long three weeks, and she was up and down for a while, but then she was doing much better. Not great, but better. They sent her to a rehab center, and she was there for five days before they sent her back to the hospital, but her heart couldn't handle the strain anymore, and she passed away.

And I'm honestly not sure why I said so much on here... but I guess there's some comfort in unloading on complete strangers. Sorry for using you all to dump my issues on, and without further ado, here's the chapter.

OoOoO

Eighteen years later…

"It's taken this long, Wind, but this time I'm sure we've found it."

The white haired teen dropped down into a tiny clearing in a thick forest. Up ahead, through the trees, he could see the shimmering of a lake that was a little too familiar, though he hadn't seen it in a long, long time.

That wasn't his focus though on this day.

He had landed in front of the headstone, but it had vines that had grown up and obscured the inscription. Steeling himself, he reached out and pushed the plants aside, revealing what was written on it.

Jackson Overland Frost.

Beloved brother and son, hero.

He let out a shaky breath, ignoring the tremor in his hand as he reached out and brushed his fingertips against the word beloved.

Jamie was the first mortal person to have seen him in this new life, and there hadn't been any others since the battle with Pitch. But this… he'd had a family. He had been loved. He had to believe it could happen again.

As he stood, smiling, a tear slipped down his face. Frost spread from where it dropped onto the grave stone. He took off into the air, the smile still firmly planted on his face.

OoOoO

Weanwhile, some distance away…

"Mother, please-" The blonde girl begged.

"No! You are not leaving this tower, EVER," Mother Gothel yelled.

"O-ok," the girl whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.

The woman collapsed into an armchair, her head falling into her hands. "Oh, great. Now, you've made me the bad guy. Rapunzel, I'm just trying to protect you!"

"I- I know that, mother." The girl stood there for a moment, fighting back tears, until she realized that she really didn't want to see her mother right then. Determination straightened her spine and she said, "I've decided what I want for my birthday."

The woman sighed in relief at the topic change. "Alright, what is it?"

"Do you remember the white paint you once brought me? The one made from those shells you collected from the sea shore."

"Rapunzel, that's three days of travel from here. One way!"

She nodded, bowing her head, and Gothel sat in silence for a moment, considering. She soon stood, saying, "Well, as long as you're over that silly notion about the stars, I'll get you the paint."

Rapunzel could tell she expected an answer, so she responded with, "Of course, mother. I can see the stars from the window. Why would I need to leave?"

While the woman retrieved her supplies for the trip, Rapunzel stared at the edge of the newest painting that she'd hidden from her mother. Those lights weren't stars, and she _was_ going to see them up close.

Once the older woman was ready to go, the two stood by the window facing each other.

"Now remember, a clean home-" Gothel began.

"Is a healthy home," the girl finished.

"And don't forget-"

"To brush my hair every day."

"Good girl. How about I bring some of those berries you like so much?"

Rapunzel nodded. Gothel kissed the top of her head and asked, "You understand why you can't leave, don't you, flower?"

"Yes, mother," Rapunzel responded with her head bowed.

It wasn't until Gothel had been lowered from the tower and disappeared from view that Rapunzel finally released the tears she'd been holding back.

OoOoO

Jack was floating lazily, letting Wind carry him wherever she pleased, when he heard distant voices. He dropped towards them out of curiosity, but as he was trying to find where they were coming from, he saw a young woman with curly black hair and a traveling cloak appear through a veil of vines that he'd mistaken for a solid wall of stone.

She moved determinedly towards him, and for a moment he had hope that she could see him, but it was dashed when he barely avoided her walking through him. It didn't hurt, but it was the most unpleasant thing he'd ever experienced aside from dying, so he tried to avoid it.

He watched her walk away for a moment before turning back towards where she'd come from.

He slowly approached the vines and moved them aside, revealing an opening just barely big enough for him to stand comfortably inside. He walked through curiously, and as the vines swished back into place behind him he turned around to look. They completely blocked the light from the other side- if he hadn't just walked through them, he'd think it was a dead end.

He continued through the passage, whistling and swinging his staff, until his sensitive ears picked up a noise outside of what he was making. He stopped, his head cocked, and could make out the sound of somebody crying.

He took a few steps forward, and found himself standing in a steep sided valley. The stone wall which had blocked it from his view seemed to run all the way around, forming a near perfect circle. What was in the middle of that circle made his jaw drop.

It was a tower.


	3. A Tower in the Woods

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians. Or Tangled. I kinda wish I did though, because I'd never have to worry about paying bills again.

Chapter 3

Jack took a few steps forward, and found himself standing in a steep sided valley. The stone wall which had blocked it from his view seemed to run all the way around, forming a near perfect circle. It was absolutely perfect, untouched by the modern world.

A crystal clear stream trickled through, though Jack wasn't sure where it came from, or where it disappeared to. The grass was the softest his bare feet had ever felt, and he didn't think it was possible for so many different wildflowers to grow in one place. Though Jack was far from a spring person, the fresh scent was one of the loveliest things he'd ever smelled.

What was in the center of the stone ring, though, was what amazed him the most.

It was a tower. A huge tower; five or six stories, at least. It was built entirely of stone and wood, and it also looked untouched by the years; he'd think it was uninhabited, except for the fact that the crying seemed to be coming from the window at the top.

Willing Wind to lift him up, he flew a tight circle around the base of the tower; no doors. The window it was, then. He floated up to the window and softly called, "Hello?"

He immediately started berating himself silently for even bothering to call out when nobody would hear him, but his mental tirade ended abruptly when he realized that the crying had stopped. There was no sound coming from inside.

Forgetting himself, he asked excitedly, "Wait, can you hear me?"

There was no response, so he landed on the windowsill before hopping inside onto the floor.

He started to look around, and his breath caught at all of the beautiful paintings covering every bit of exposed wall and even the ceiling. And the stuff that was hanging from the rafters… was that… hair?

He took another step forward, but at that moment his instincts warned him of danger. He spun around, his hand raised and staff at the ready, to catch a frying pan of all things, which, to his confusion had been aimed at his head.

Holding onto the other end of the frying pan, Jack saw a girl that appeared to be the owner of the golden hair strung about the room. She looked to be about the same age as Jack; or, at least, the same age he looked, because he hadn't physically aged since he died. And then un-died. Or whatever you'd call it. He was still a bit fuzzy on the spirit terminology.

Her feet were bare and she wore a pink and lavender dress. And her green eyes were staring directly at Jack.

His eyes opened wide in wonder. "You… You can see me, can't you?" he asked, laughing joyfully.

"What do you want?" The girl squeaked fearfully, backing up until she came against the wall and holding the frying pan in front of her protectively. It was then that Jack realized that the green eyes trained on him were filled with fear.

He held his hands up in a placating gesture. "I just heard somebody crying, I wanted to make sure everything was alright."

She glanced fearfully at his staff, and Jack felt like smacking himself. Trying to look nonthreatening while holding a weapon? Really? He opened his hand and it dropped to the floor; it came to a rest across his bare foot.

The girl relaxed slightly, but her eyes were still fearful. "What did you plan to do with it? Use it? Sell it? Because I won't just let you take it, you know."

"Wait, take what?" Jack asked, bewildered.

"My hair!"

His brows drew together in confusion. "Your hair is nice, yeah, and there's certainly a lot of it, but why would I want to take it?"

She dropped her hands, looking at him questioningly. "You mean you're not after my hair?"

He shook his head, and she said, "Huh. Then why are you here?"

"I told you, I heard crying and wanted to make sure everything was alright. I don't like people being upset."

"But why would you come all the way up here just to check on somebody you don't even know?"

Jack shrugged. "Because it's who I am." After a moment of thought, he added uncomfortably, "Besides, I don't really know too many people."

"Me neither," the girl laughed awkwardly. "I'm Rapunzel, by the way."

"Jack," he replied with a grin. "Now we each know another person."

Rapunzel laughed awkwardly again. "Yeah. So my list has just doubled."

"Wait, doubled? So you've only met one other person?" Jack asked incredulously.

Rapunzel began nervously playing with a strand of hair in front of her face. "Well, I've lived in this tower my whole life. Mother doesn't let me leave because of the people who want my hair."

"Wait, so you've never been outside?"

"Nope," she said confidently, but Jack could hear the sadness she tried to hide. Three hundred years of watching people who didn't even know he was there had made him an expert at reading people. "It's not safe. What about you?"

"Oh, I've been everywhere," Jack said, smiling.

"Then shouldn't you know a lot of people?" Rapunzel asked, and his face fell.

"Trust me, I wish I did, it's just that people can't really… I mean, I don't…" he struggled to explain his isolation without outright saying 'I'm invisible to most people.' As great as it had been to be believed in by Jamie and his friends, he'd still been this mythical, magical creature. He was enjoying being spoken to as a normal person. Sighing in defeat, he summed it up with, "It's complicated. "

Unconsciously flicking a glance at all of the golden blonde hair strung about the room, Rapunzel matched his sigh with one of her own. "I know the feeling."

They descended into silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts, until Jack asked, "So what do you do for fun up here?"

"Oh, I have a lot to keep me busy," Rapunzel said, brightening up. "There's cooking, cleaning, candle making, sewing dresses, pottery, reading books, and of course brushing my hair, which takes _forever_ …" She seemed like she was going to keep going, but Jack's quiet laughter stopped her. "What?"

"I think you misunderstood. I didn't ask what you do to fill the long, long hours," he joked dramatically. "I asked what you do for _fun._ When all your chores are finished, what is it that makes you forget how boring all that other stuff is?"

"Oh," she said, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "Well…" she gestured wordlessly to the walls.

"What, the paintings?" Jack asked, and she nodded confirmation. Now that the threat of frying pans to the head had passed (mostly; she did, after all, still have a pretty tight grip on the pan), Jack returned his attention to the paintings. They were truly amazing.

The paintings consisted mostly of nature themes; flowers, trees, birds. Several places had a painted version of Rapunzel interacting with the wildlife. It was clear how desperately she wanted to leave.

There were star charts on the ceiling too, and even within those he noticed a similar motif with the rest. There was a sun, designed almost to look like a flower, hidden all throughout the paintings covering the walls. Some were so subtle, Jack wondered if the girl even realized she kept repeating the image.

As he continued looking around, he spotted the edge of something above the mantle that was mostly covered by curtains.

He walked over and grabbed the curtains, ready to pull them apart, but at the last minute turned towards Rapunzel. "Do you mind?"

She shook her head, gesturing for him to go on. He pulled the curtains open. Across the bottom were several trees, and on top of one of them sat Rapunzel, back turned to the viewer, her blonde hair flowing down past the bottom. In front of the painted girl were hundreds of lights, white, yellow, and every shade in between, lifting up into the sky.

"It's beautiful," he said appreciatively.

"Thank you," Rapunzel said, her voice rather subdued, and Jack turned to see her staring at the floor, rubbing her arm uncomfortably.

"They don't look like stars," Jack said softly.

Rapunzel immediately brightened up at that. "They're not," she responded excitedly as she flicked her hair, and to Jack's amazement, the end wrapped around a handle on the ceiling he hadn't even noticed, flipping a panel open to reveal more astrological charts.

Then, to his further amazement, she flicked her hair again and it wrapped around a beam, and she swung _from her hair_ , Tarzan style, and landed on the mantle in front of the painting. "See, I've studied the stars. I know every single celestial body that's visible from this planet: their patterns, their movements, everything. These lights only appear one night each year, and they don't match any star patterns!" she explained passionately.

"So what are they?" Jack asked, intrigued.

The girl visibly deflated. "I wish I knew. They're just too far away."

"So get closer," Jack said simply.

Rapunzel glanced towards the window, looking conflicted. "I don't know…"

"You said they only appear one night each year, right?" Jack asked. Rapunzel nodded slowly, and Jack continued, "Which night?"

"My birthday," Rapunzel said. Jack raised his eyebrows at the seeming coincidence.

"When is that?"

"Tomorrow," Rapunzel continued.

"You said you live here with just your mother. Where is she?"

"I asked her to go to the sea and get me some shells for my birthday," Rapunzel explained, looking guilty. "She'll be gone for six days."

"So let me get this straight," Jack said, glancing at a clock. "It's ten AM right now. These mysterious lights are going to appear tomorrow, on your birthday, when it gets dark. And your mother won't be back for almost a week."

"And…?" Rapunzel led.

Jack smirked at her mischievously. "And, the way I see it, that leaves plenty of time to go see what these lights are and make it back without her ever knowing you're gone."

Rapunzel blinked owlishly at that declaration, dropping her frying pan in her distraction.

"You… You're right," she said slowly. All of a sudden, she leapt off the mantle and ran to the window. She stared out of it for a moment before leaping for joy and laughing, "I could go. She would never know."

She spun back towards Jack. "I could go," she repeated solemnly. "I've never left the tower, though." She paused for a moment before asking uncertainly, "Will you go with me?"

"Me?" Jack asked in surprise.

She shrugged. "You're one of only two other human beings that I know, and the other one would freak out if I asked her, so…" She trailed off. Jack had to fight a wince when she called him a human.

Barely even taking time to consider, Jack responded, "Yes, I'll go."

"Yes!" she squealed, rushing towards the window. She stepped up onto the window sill, leaning so far over the edge that Jack was afraid she was going to fall, but she managed to keep her balance. She stared out at the grass for a moment before breathing, "I can't believe I'm going to do this."

Jack was about to respond until he heard an animalistic grunting. He took a step closer to the girl and realized she had a chameleon on her shoulder. It must have been hiding in her hair.

The chameleon gestured out the window impatiently, and Rapunzel's hair flipped up onto a hook above the window. As an afterthought, she flicked a smaller chunk and it wrapped around her frying pan. The next thing Jack knew, she had grabbed her hair and was rappelling down the side of the tower, whooping in joy all the way.


	4. Love Yourself Sometimes

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Gaurdians, or Tangled. As much as I might wish I did.

Chapter 4

Rapunzel had never felt so free. Every thirty seconds, she was running in a different direction. Rolling in the grass; her silky sheets had never felt so soft. Shoving her face in flowers; not even her favorite foods smelled so good to her.

She stepped gingerly into the stream, and it was cold, but even her most luxurious bath couldn't compare to the feeling of fresh water running over her feet. She was ready to lay down in it, but Jack saw what she meant to do and grabbed her arm to stop her. "Whoa, hold on, Rapunzel." He was careful not to let his own bare feet touch the water, and hoped that she wouldn't notice the coldness of his skin.

"Why?" she asked, pouting slightly.

"Did you bring dry clothes to change into?" Jack asked logically.

"…no."

"Exactly. So come on," he said, holding a hand out to her, and she took it and pulled herself out of the stream, not even noticing the blades of grass that stuck to her wet feet.

The girl took two steps before she stopped, staring back longingly at the stream. "Do you think it'd be safe to drink?"

One of Jack's lesser known powers was the ability to purify any water, no matter what phase it was in. The world might have been a much healthier place, were it not for two major drawbacks to the ability.

First, it didn't last forever. As long as it remained unsoiled, it would remain pure, but humans were notoriously thoughtless creatures, and didn't pay attention to water pollution until it was already dangerous not only to them, but to other living creatures.

The second problem was that whatever he drew out of the water stayed in his body for a while. He'd actually gotten very sick from it several times, and with as bad as most rivers were now, he was afraid it could kill him.

In a case like this, though, he didn't think he'd have anything to worry about.

He knelt down and dipped a hand in the water. It took most of his concentration to keep in from freezing, though he was sure it was a few degrees cooler. He felt a bit sick to his stomach, but to his surprise that was all he felt. Even in this secluded glen, he'd expected worse.

For show, he cupped some water in his hand, and sniffed it, before tasting it.

He smiled at Rapunzel. "It's fine."

Squeaking happily, she dropped to her knees next to him and drank deeply from the water. Jack, whose sick feeling was already fading, simply stared at her, not even realizing that he was smiling faintly.

He loved how fascinated she was by everything. He'd never seen such pure, childlike wonder in someone as old as her, and it was truly a beautiful sight to behold.

Rapunzel sat back up, sighing dreamily. "I've never tasted anything so sweet." She turned towards Jack to ask if he agreed, but when she saw how he was looking at her, a faint blush rose to her cheeks and she felt suddenly shy.

But why? Why would a simple look make her feel that way? Mother never looked at her like that. She didn't look at mother that way, did she? What did the look mean?

When Rapunzel turned her head away again, Jack realized he'd been staring, and abruptly stood. "Um, we should probably go. We don't know how far it is, and we only have until tomorrow night.

"Oh, right," Rapunzel blushed.

Jack once again offered her a hand, and she accepted his help standing up before asking, "Which way?"

"Shouldn't you know that? I don't know where the lights come from."

"It's that way," Rapunzel said, pointing confidently. "I don't know how to get out of here, though."

"Right," Jack said. "Follow me, then."

She followed him confidently into the small tunnel, but when he parted the curtain of vines and gestured for her to go first, she froze. "I… I can't believe I'm doing this," she said weakly, collapsing to her knees.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Jack said, rushing to her side.

"It's… Mother," Rapunzel said as a sob escaped her. "I'm not even supposed to go outside. If she knew I was doing this, it'd kill her…"

"But staying there is killing you," Jack said gently.

"What?"

"I'm very good at reading people, Rapunzel. I've had a long time to practice. And I can see how much you hate being trapped there every day."

"You… You can?" She asked, teary.

"I can," Jack confirmed. "And you can't sacrifice your happiness, your mental health, everything you've ever wanted… for the sake of somebody else."

"But-"

"I understand you love her," Jack cut her off. "And if it's that important to you, then I can take you back up there right now, and it'll be like it never happened. But it's also important to love yourself sometimes too."

"I… love myself?" She repeated thoughtfully.

Jack nodded. "It's up to you. What do you want to do?"

What did she want to do? That was easy. She wanted to leave, and never go back.

But… at the same time, she didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay with mother, where she was safe. Maybe it wasn't so easy?

She wasn't sure why, but she trusted Jack completely. She knew, without a doubt, that he wouldn't let her get hurt.

"You'll stay with me, right?" She asked. "All the way? Even to bring me back home?"

"Every step of the way, Rapunzel."

"Then… I'm going," she determined, standing back up and walking through the curtain. She didn't look back.

AN: Ooh, they're both crushing... do you see it? Huh? Do ya do ya?

On a more serious note, I think that everybody should follow Jack's advice. It's important to love yourself too. That's something that my high school counselor told me once, and it's incredibly hard for me to follow it, because it's in my nature to be self-sacrificing for the sake of those I love. But the little bit I am able to follow it is essential to my continued mental health. So, if you're like me, or Rapunzel, and give every ounce of yourself for others, then take this to heart.


	5. Unusual Hair

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Rise of the Guardians and Tangled. Sadly, that is not the case.

Chapter 5

"So I don't really get out much, and most of my books don't have pictures… So I was wondering…" Rapunzel began. "You look like you're about my age, but I thought that only old people had white hair."

Jack just looked at her, smirking.

"What?" she asked, blushing. "Was that a rude question?"

"No, teenagers don't usually have white hair. But they also don't usually have hair that's seventy feet long."

Rapunzel looked thoughtfully behind her, where her hair was strung out behind her. "I guess we both have unusual hair, then, don't we?"

"I guess so," Jack smirked.

They walked in silence for a ways before Rapunzel asked, "So what do _you_ do for fun?"

Jack laughed. "A lot of things. I'm a fun guy," he cracked, kicking at a mushroom.

"Like, what kind of things though?" Rapunzel asked eagerly. "I've been inside my entire life. What do people who travel a lot do for fun?"

"Well, most of my favorite things to do involve snow."

Rapunzel wrinkled her nose distastefully. "Snow? Really?"

"Yeah," Jack responded, slightly defensive. "What's wrong with snow?"

"It makes everything so cold and miserable, and the cold kills things."

"Cold, yes," Jack agreed. "But far from miserable, and it does the opposite of kill things. Nature can't survive without balance, and winter provides that balance."

She looked at him curiously. "How?"

"Well, it…" Jack floundered for a moment, not sure how to describe it, but then he brightened up. "Think of it like sleep. It takes up a third of your day, yeah, and it might seem like a waste of time, but after a few days without sleep your body just stops working."

"So you're saying without winter, nature would stop working?" she asked wide-eyed.

"Kinda, yeah."

"Wow. So what kinds of things do you do in the snow?"

"Oh, you know, snowball fights, sledding, those kinds of things."

She smiled wistfully. "It sounds nice."

"It is. I'll show you, this winter. Or maybe sooner."

"What do you mean sooner?"

"Nothing," Jack said, waving it off. He could feel the magic building, though, begging to be set free.

For a change, Jack actually had to focus on _not_ using his powers. Not floating lazily through the air, not shooting ice wherever he thought it would look nice, not leaving flurries in his wake as he moved. It was harder than he'd thought it would be.

Being seen by Jamie had been amazing, but this was different. It was the first time in three hundred years that he'd been treated as a normal human being. He was savoring it just as much as Rapunzel was being outside.

He wasn't ready to give that up quite yet.

OoOoO

As Rapunzel sat in front of the fire and Jack tried to discreetly keep his distance, something she'd said earlier finally bothered him enough for him to ask.

"Hey Rapunzel, why did you think I was after your hair?"

He couldn't see her face, but she obviously stiffened. She didn't say anything, though, and Jack thought that would be her only response.

It was almost five minutes later that she finally turned towards him, staring at him as though she were debating something.

He could see it in her eyes the moment she came to a decision. Her voice was shaky when she spoke. "I have magic hair," she said quickly, and then winced like she was expecting him to laugh, or freak out, or whatever.

He didn't, though. He just tilted his head at her thoughtfully. "Magic hair, huh?"

Her eyes darkened and she turned away. "You don't believe me, do you?" she asked. "I mean, I know it's not like magic is very common. I understand that a lot of people don't even believe it's real, and-"

She stopped, jumping, when she felt an icy hand on her shoulder. "You'd be surprised what I believe," Jack said softly, so softly she almost didn't hear even though he was barely a foot behind her.

She turned around to see a deeply sad look in his eyes, even as he tried to make his features look supportive. "If you say you have magic hair, I believe you," he said firmly. She still looked skeptical, so Jack lifted his other hand and conjured a snowball. He figured if she had magic too, maybe it wouldn't change the way she treated him.

Rapunzel's eyes widened and she asked, "Where did that come from?"

"Would you believe me if I said it's magic?" Jack quipped, tossing the snowball over his shoulder and removing his other hand from her shoulder.

She shivered slightly. "You're freezing. You should move closer to the fire."

Jack simply shook his head, resuming his previous seat. Rapunzel turned her side to the fire, facing Jack as he asked, "So I've never heard of magic hair before. What does it do?"

She blushed and said, "Well, it glows when I sing, and…"

"And?" he prompted.

"And it can heal any injury."

Jack whistled, impressed. "Nice," he said, and she blushed harder.

After another pause of a few minutes, Jack asked, "So, have people come after it before?"

She nodded shyly. "They came when I was a baby and tried to cut my hair to take it for themselves, but it didn't work."

She turned around and lifted her hair to her left side, revealing a small chunk of brown hair at the base of her scalp. "When it's cut, it turns brown and loses its magic."

Jack reached out and caught the brown hair between his fingers, marveling at the difference in color, and at how soft it was.

The girl shivered at the proximity of his icy fingers, and he immediately pulled away, apologizing.

"It's ok," Rapunzel replied, turning towards him and putting a hand on his knee. "It's just, you're so cold."

"I know."

She scooted over on the log she was sitting on. "You'll catch a cold if you don't warm up. Come on, get closer."

"Thanks, but I'm more comfortable here."

Rapunzel sighed and turned away. "Alright. I'm going to get some sleep, then, and you should too. Goodnight, Jack," she said, laying down on the ground.

Of course, Jack didn't need sleep.

"Goodnight, Rapunzel," he finally replied to her sleeping form. He ached to go whip up some blizzards. If there were people who had cut her hair before though, they may come back.

He stood slowly. "Wind, keep her safe?" a breeze gently caressed his hair, and taking that as an answer, he flew off.

OoOoO

Gothel had travelled non-stop since she left the tower. She'd told Rapunzel it was a three day trip, but if she walked through the night she could make it in just over two, which she wanted to do so she'd have time for some side business before heading home. After all, she may have played nice the last eighteen years to make the girl trust her, but she was still a witch.

This time, however, she ran into something that changed her plans. In a small clearing, which she passed through after about fourteen hours, there was a headstone. The headstone had been there since the first time she'd passed through; that wasn't what caught her attention. It was that it had been cleaned off.

Each time she'd walked by it, it was a little more overgrown, so that the inscription couldn't even be seen. Of course, it wasn't like she'd cared about it enough to read it; nobody did. It had been there for hundreds of years. That was why it was so odd that it had been cleaned.

The moonlight came from the wrong direction, so she couldn't make out much of the writing, but the frost lacing the top half of the stone was clearly illuminated.

Painstakingly crafting a small fireball in her hand (the only bad thing about Rapunzel's healing hair was that it made it very difficult for Gothel to use her dark magic), Gothel bent down to read the stone, and immediately turned on her heel, heading back towards the tower.

Jack Frost.

This could be a problem.


	6. A New Threat

Chapter 6

Jack had been gone for less than an hour, and when he got back Rapunzel was still out cold.

He hated leaving her alone, but he'd had to let off the pressure. Ever since the battle with Pitch, he had to keep using his magic regularly. Not the thing he'd done in the stream, but his ice magic. If he didn't, he felt this weird pressure build up in his head.

At first, it had felt kind of good, even though he'd had no clue what it was. But then, snow flurries started slipping out of him without his control. He hadn't felt that lack of control since he was first born as a spirit. He'd gone to North, completely freaking out, but of course, the man simply laughed at him as he explained.

It had been the same for all of them. As soon as they started gaining believers, their powers started growing. If they weren't used regularly, they'd spiral out of control. And Jack only had six children that believed in him, who couldn't even really be called children anymore. They all had most of the kids in the world. He couldn't imagine what that must feel like.

Once, just out of curiosity, he'd ignored that pressure, that _need_ to use his powers. Two weeks later, with his head feeling like it was going to explode, he'd finally lost control and let it go. The storm had been without a doubt the biggest he'd ever created. It had lasted for five days, and dumped out almost sixteen feet of snow. He was just glad that he hadn't been in a populated area.

When Jack got back, he was relieved to find that Wind had kept the fire from going out; he'd have had trouble relighting it. He did have to add more wood, though, and did so by tossing it from a distance.

He sat down on the same log he'd occupied before and, to entertain himself, began creating small animals, composed entirely of frost, which moved slowly around the clearing, each one moving differently and at different speeds.

It was something he'd come up with not only to let the pressure off, but to improve his control. He liked challenging himself and seeing how many different animals he could control at once, and still have them all moving in their own unique ways.

When Rapunzel woke up, for a moment, she wondered why she didn't feel the soft silk of her bed sheets, but the pleasant breeze blowing over her and the feel of the blades of grass brought back her memories of the previous day.

She sat up as she opened her eyes, grinning brightly, but the sight that met her was the last thing she expected to see. Jack sat cross-legged, unmoving, a few feet away from her, his back turned to her and his staff lying casually across his lap. He didn't seem to be reacting at all to the flurry of activity that was the small clearing in the woods.

A hummingbird darted around, backwards and forwards, changing direction at random. A cat chased a mouse, stalking, and then pouncing, and then stalking again, but the little mouse repeatedly dodged its would-be captor's claws. There were at least four different breeds of dogs romping around, playing with each other. A rabbit was hopping around aimlessly.

The clearing was absolutely filled with animals, and since they didn't all appear in Rapunzel's zoology book, she couldn't even hope to name them all. None of them made a noise, and they were all transparent and silvery white.

A gasp escaped her at the sight, and as soon as it did, two things happened simultaneously. Jack leapt to his feet, spinning to face her, and every single creature, down to the tiny tree frog that hopped from branch to branch, exploded into flurries of snow.

It was the most beautiful thing the girl had ever seen.

Jack, for his part, was equally speechless. Even after just having woken up, Rapunzel was positively radiant, glowing as if she herself were a source of light, not just the sunlight shining through the leaves onto her. She was staring around in absolute wonder at the delicate little flakes, and Jack couldn't help but think that even having been all over the world, he'd never seen a girl as captivating as this one.

When the last of the snow had vanished, Rapunzel turned to him with the same look of wonder, and it was then he realized he'd been staring at her. The bluish tint in his cheeks darkened as he turned his head away, embarrassed.

"You made a snowball last night…" The girl said thoughtfully. "That was all you, wasn't it?"

Jack nodded sheepishly, and Rapunzel leapt to her feet. "That was amazing! How did you do that? Were they moving on their own, or did you move them? And why did they all explode?"

Jack laughed at her rapid fire questioning. "I'm not sure how my magic works, I just know how to use it. I was controlling them; I can't create anything sentient. And they exploded because _someone_ broke my concentration," he teased.

It was Rapunzel's turn to blush. "Sorry. How do you control them all at once, though? And why were they white?"

"A _lot_ of focus," Jack laughed. "They're white because they're made of frost."

"Frost?" she echoed in confusion.

Jack shrugged. "It's kind of my signature. I am Jack Frost, after all."

Rapunzel's mouth opened into an adorable "o". Wait, adorable? Since when did Jack think like that?

After a moment, Rapunzel mused, "Jack Frost? …You look nothing like the pictures."

"Pictures?"

Rapunzel nodded thoughtfully. "Mother got me a book for my birthday one year about myths and legends. If you're the same Jack Frost, then it explains the white hair, and why you're so cold, but you don't look anything like the illustrations."

"What do they look like?" Jack asked in amusement.

"Well… They're mostly tiny, creepy looking old men," she laughed, and then her eyes lit up. "My book also said…" she trailed off.

"What?" Jack prompted.

"That you can fly?" Rapunzel asked hopefully.

Instead of answering verbally, Jack leapt into the air, doing a back flip, but instead of landing he simply halted in the air, three feet off the ground.

The blonde bounced excitedly. "Can you please take me for a ride?"

Jack dropped back to the ground, his long legs bending slightly to absorb the impact. He looked Rapunzel up and down, focusing on her bare arms and feet. "I'm not sure you're dressed warmly enough."

"Ok," she said sadly.

"I'll take you some time," Jack promised, not wanting to see the look of disappointment on her face. "But for now, you need to eat," Jack said, pointing at a brown cloth bag on the ground between them. Rapunzel hadn't even noticed it until then, but she recognized it as one from her kitchen that Gothel carried food home in.

Curiously, she picked up the bag and undid the strings, peeking inside. To her surprise, she found a large handful of berries, several thick slices of bread, and a bundle of dried meat. Rapunzel also recognized all of this from her kitchen.

"You left?" she asked, her voice small.

Jack winced slightly. "I did, but not for very long, and I didn't leave you unprotected. Wind was watching over you, and she would have brought me straight back if you needed me."

Rapunzel's rational side wanted to think he was crazy for talking about the wind as if it were a conscious being, but her rational side had been shut up when she saw Jack Frost make frost animals that exploded into snow. She shrugged it off and ate her berries.

OoOoO

Mother Gothel rushed into the clearing, visibly calming when she saw that everything looked exactly the same. She shook her head, annoyed with herself for her paranoia. Now she'd have to go and come straight back so Rapunzel wouldn't be suspicious. No more side business.

She turned away, about to cross back through the curtain of vines, but a nagging feeling told her to double check.

She'd come up with some excuse; perhaps she could claim the girl didn't pack her enough food. Yes, that would work.

"Rapunzel, let down your hair," She called in a singsong voice from the bottom of the tower.

She waited a couple of minutes before calling again, a bit more impatiently. "Rapunzel! Let down your hair."

Two more minutes with still no response, and she was panicking again. "Rapunzel!" she yelled as she ran to the other side of the tower, tearing down vines to reveal a secret door that had been barricaded.

She yanked the bricks out of it violently, and then rushed up the stairs, using her body to break through the wooden door at the top, previously disguised flawlessly as a wall. "Rapunzel!" She yelled again, searching the entire tower and finding it empty.

Gothel collapsed in despair, but as she hit the floor, the sun shining through the window glinted off of something reflective on the mantle. She picked herself up and went over to investigate, and her face darkened at what she saw.

There was a thin layer of ice just under the painting of the lanterns. It was in the shape of a hand.

Determination steeling her, she went around the tower, systematically closing each door and window blind, until the tower was so dark that she wouldn't have been able to see her hand had she held it up in front of her face.

She lit a single candle in front of her, and stood waiting until a sinister laughter echoed around the room.

"It's been a long time since you called on me, Gothel," a smooth voice said. A tall, thin figure emerged from the shadows. He was clad in black, with spiky black hair and an unhealthy gray pallor to his skin.

He made a show of looking around, and smiled cruelly. "And here we are, in your tower. Don't tell me you've gone and lost your flower?"

"Not lost," she corrected. "Stolen."

The laughter returned, this time emitting from the strange man. "And who was stupid enough to steal from you?"

"Jack Frost," she replied simply. The result was instantaneous. The man's face twisted into a horrifying snarl, his eyes filled with hatred and hunger.

"Tell me more."


	7. Corona at Last

Chapter 7

Jack's sensitive ears picked up the sound of the village long before Rapunzel's did, and when he could hear voices just over the next rise he stopped abruptly.

Rapunzel continued for two more steps before she realized that she was leaving her companion behind.

"Jack?" she asked. When she saw his face, she immediately moved closer. "What's wrong?"

"I have to tell you something," he said, and even Rapunzel, inexperienced as she was with reading other people's emotions, could tell he was very upset by it.

Rapunzel's brow furrowed in concerned confusion. Slowly, she said, "Jack, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

"I do, though. We're about to go into a town, and it's something you need to know now."

"Ok," she replied nervously. "What is it?"

"There's more to being Jack Frost than just flying around making frost animals. What exactly did that book say about me?"

She tilted her head, recalling. "Well, it said that you're a winter spirit, and a guardian, whatever that means, and it said that you're a bit of a prankster and you can create huge snowstorms…" She was going to keep listing, but he held up his hand to stop her.

"It's the 'winter spirit' part that's important at the moment. People's interactions with me depend on their belief in me."

"What?" she asked.

"If people don't believe I'm real, then they can't see me," he explained. "Or feel me. They'll pass right through me."

Rapunzel's brow furrowed once again. "But that doesn't make any sense."

"I'm a spirit, Rapunzel. A magical creature."

"No, that's not what I mean," she corrected. "I mean, yeah, I've read about you, but I didn't believe you were real. So why can I see you?"

Jack's eyes widened at that. "I don't know. I didn't think of that before."

"Maybe…" Rapunzel speculated, worrying at her hair once more. "Maybe it's because I have magic too?"

"That could be it. Anyways, I just thought you should know. So that when nobody else can see me, and look at you like you're talking to yourself, you'll know why."

The pain in his voice was obvious, and Rapunzel unconsciously reached out and wrapped her warm hand around his cold one. "Jack…"

"Come on," he said before she could continue. Leaving his hand in hers, he led her to the top of the hill.

Rapunzel gasped at the sight that met them. A busy bridge connected them to an island, the majority of which was covered by a town. A castle rose up above all of the houses, possessing a sort of modest majesty that took her breath away.

"It's so beautiful," she breathed, and then suddenly squealed and rushed across the bridge, leaving her companion behind.

She found herself in a market, and before Jack could even slow her down she was in the crowd, bouncing from one stall to another just looking at all of the things she'd never seen before. She moved so nimbly around the stalls and the people that she would have been fine, except for one issue. She had seventy feet of hair.

One person stepped on it, stopping her short, and it was like an invitation for others to do the same; suddenly, dozens of people were tripping on the blonde hair stretched around.

Rapunzel began frantically scooping it up into her arms, and Jack started at the other end, meeting her in the middle before adding his armload of hair to hers. He didn't want to draw more attention to her with floating hair.

She looked at him helplessly, and he looked around, trying to find a solution.

When his eyes fell on the fountain, they brightened. There were four girls sitting on the edge of the fountain in a line. The oldest three were each braiding the hair of the girl in front of them, while the youngest, in front, played with the hair of a doll. Jack pointed at them, grinning.

"Hey," Rapunzel called, and the girls turned towards her. When she held her armful of hair out hopefully, they squealed with joy.

The girls were having so much fun braiding Rapunzel's hair that Jack wished he could watch, but something kept dragging his attention away, and it took him a few minutes to realize what it was that had him so distracted; it was the crest of Corona. The feeling that he'd seen it before was driving him crazy.

He had seen it before, of course. For almost as long as the small kingdom had existed, he'd been bringing winter to it. This time, though, it felt different. He just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something important about this symbol, especially when Wind blew a small flag bearing it right into his hand.

He considered asking Rapunzel about it, but he didn't want to spoil her fun over something that was probably not important anyways, so he shoved it into his pocket to deal with it later.

When he looked back up, he saw the four girls throwing their arms around Rapunzel.

She laughed, and then walked over to Jack, asking shyly, "How does it look?" She didn't even notice the four girls giving her funny looks for apparently talking to herself.

She turned around to show him a braid that was nearly as big around as she was, hanging just above the ground. There were countless smaller braids weaved intricately throughout it. Jack couldn't help but think that her hair must be magic for its weight not to hurt her neck.

"It's beautiful, but I think it needs one more thing."

"What?"

Jack brushed his hand down the braid, leaving perfectly formed flowers of ice behind.

Rapunzel gasped, as did the four girls who still sat watching. "Oh, Jack, they're beautiful," Rapunzel gushed.

The four young girls rushed over, and the boldest pulled on Rapunzel's arm. "Where did those ice flowers come from?"

Rapunzel looked confused for a moment before she remembered what Jack had told her. "Jack Frost put them there," she said firmly, before surprising Jack by grabbing his hand and leading him away. "Come on, let's go explore."

Neither of them noticed that the four girls they left behind were blinking in wonder at the tall, thin, white-haired boy that had seemingly appeared from thin air.


	8. I See the Light

**So, this is kind of longer than most of the chapters in this fic. Hopefully, that makes up for how long it took me to update. I could give you the regular excuses that I've been busy working, and working on other projects, and this fic just didn't feel like being written for a while, but being an avid fanfic reader myself, I know how old that gets.**

 **Yes, I'm aware that I just gave you excuses while saying that I wasn't going to give you excuses. Don't poke holes in my logic. Geez! :p**

 **But seriously. I'm sorry. It's been, what, a month and a half?**

 **Disclaimer: I totally own RoTG, and Tangled, and Harry Potter, and PJO, and the entire Marvel-verse, and all those other franchises I'm slightly (ok, more than slightly) obsessed with. ...In my dreams.**

 **Chapter 8**

"Do you hear that?" Rapunzel asked, her head tilted.

"That depends. If you mean the music, then yes."

"Of course I mean the music," she said, rolling her eyes at Jack, before grabbing his hand again and following the sound.

A few blocks later, they came into a square that was full of people standing around talking, and in one corner there was a group playing all sorts of instruments. Her eyes lit up, and she moved to the center of the square and started dancing, not caring in the least who was watching.

The band noticed and began to pick up the pace, and soon Rapunzel was pulling people into her dance. Within minutes, nearly everybody in the square was dancing, and Jack felt a tap on his foot. He looked down and saw the chameleon, Pascal, motion him towards the crowd.

"I can't," Jack said wistfully. "None of them can see me."

The little lizard gave him a 'duh' face and pointed aggressively at Rapunzel, smiling ear to ear as she was passed from person to person and spun around. He then crossed his arms, staring at Jack expectantly, and somehow Jack knew exactly what he was trying to say.

 _She_ can see you. Get out there.

Jack stared back, and was about to say no until Rapunzel, who was being swung past him, grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into the fray.

He stood there for a moment, wondering what to do, until somebody passed through him, and he shuddered at the sensation.

He began ducking and weaving through the people, trying to escape the crowd, but then Rapunzel was in front of him, grabbing his hands. Next thing Jack knew, he was dancing- with her. He hadn't danced with another person since... since before he died. It was a good feeling.

When she got pulled away again, he was enjoying himself, and rather than trying to escape again, he kept dancing. Jumping and twirling in time with the music, in harmony with the crowd surrounding him, it didn't even matter that he couldn't be seen.

Abruptly, the music ended, and Rapunzel was thrust into his arms. He caught her, and both stood there for a moment, laughing and panting with exertion.

When she stood up straight, though, Jack didn't immediately move his arms, too mesmerized by staring into her eyes.

What was this feeling? Snowball fights, sledding with Jamie, even defeating Pitch and becoming a guardian, none of it compared to what he felt in that moment. And, wondrously strange as it was, he could see the same feeling mirrored in her eyes. Was this...?

No, it couldn't be. He'd seen people in love before, of course, countless times, but that couldn't be what he was feeling. Could it? He wasn't even alive- he was just a spirit. And Rapunzel was so alive, so vibrant- he'd never seen anybody enjoy simply living as much as the girl in front of him. How could she possibly have feelings for him?

Just then a child tripped _through_ Jack and tumbled into Rapunzel, breaking the spell. She shot him a look of sympathy as he shuddered, and then the child pulled her away.

Jack turned and saw her being dragged towards a group of children getting out sidewalk chalk. In next to no time, she was lost in the drawing, switching between yellows, oranges, purples and pinks.

Jack watched her draw for a while, and then began decorating himself- intricate, beautiful frost designs started creeping their way across every window, and most of the walls of the buildings. Even though the hot summer sun melted the patterns almost as soon as they appeared, people still noticed; not that Jack realized that.

He decided to check on Rapunzel, just in time to see her stand up and look down proudly at her finished work, a streak of purple across her forehead.

Jack looked too, but from his position he could only tell that it was a mass of yellow and orange, surrounded by a halo of every shade of purple, and some pink too. He asked Wind to take him up above the square to get a better view.

What he saw made his breath stop. It was the symbol of the sun, surrounded by purple plants and vines, and people dancing, and it made him realize why the symbol had been bothering him.

It was the crest of Corona, the one that Wind had blown into his hands. The same thing that he'd seen decorating the interior of the tower that Rapunzel had never left until the day before.

How would she have seen it?

Jack landed directly in front of Rapunzel, startling her, and opened his mouth to ask her about it when he noticed the mosaic on the wall behind her. He changed tack to ask instead, "What's that?"

She turned around to look and shrugged. "I don't know. Want me to ask?"

"Could you please?" He requested.

They walked over to the mosaic, a larger than life image of a stately couple wearing crowns. The man was bulky and bearded, and wore expensize-looking clothes in yellow, red, and royal blue. The woman wore a lavender dress that vaguely resembled Rapunzel's, and if not for her brown hair, could have been an older version of Rapunzel. Between them, they held a baby girl with golden blonde hair and bright green eyes that seemed very familiar.

On the ground in front of the mosaic was a collection of candles, flowers, and even a couple of stuffed animals. Rapunzel got the attention of a man who was sitting nearby, reading a book.

"Excuse me, sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but could you tell me what this is?" Rapunzel asked, pointing at the wall.

The man looked at her as if she was a bit daft. "Young lady, that's the entire reason for the festival. That's the Lost Princess."

Rapunzel blushed lightly and said, "I'm sorry, sir, but I've never been here before."

Keeping the same look, he said, "You've never heard the story?" Jack and Rapunzel both shook their heads no. The man sighed, setting his book aside. "Would you like to, then?" he asked.

"If it's not too much trouble," Rapunzel replied.

"Many years ago, the queen conceived a child. The kingdom rejoiced; however, the joy was short lived, as shortly before the baby was due, she fell ill. Doctors said that she and the baby would both die, and there was nothing they could do, so everybody set out looking for the flower."

"What flower?" Jack asked, and Rapunzel repeated the question.

The man's eyes widened. "You really ain't from around here, huh? Legend says that centuries ago, a drop of sun fell to the earth, and from it grew a magic golden flower that had the power to heal any wound or illness and even reverse the power of time." Rapunzel absently reached up and brushed a hand against her hair.

"That's where our crest comes from. The sun, but it kinda looks like a flower, too. Anyways, they found the flower, and they brewed it into a tea. The queen drank it and was cured, and a healthy baby girl was born, but during the celebration of her birth, somebody broke into the castle and took the child."

Rapunzel gasped, a hand over her mouth. "Who would do such a thing?"

The man shrugged. "Nobody knows. The only clue that was found was a lock of brown hair in the princess's crib. She had blonde hair, so it must have belonged to the kidnapper, but it never led anywhere."

"You mean she's never been found?"

The man shook his head sadly. "That's why all this is happening," the man said, gesturing expansively at the festival atmosphere of the town. "Every year we release floating lanterns on her birthday in the hopes that she'll return to us."

Rapunzel was silent for a moment, looking sadly at the picture, but the gears in Jack's head were turning.

Jack reached a hand into his pocket, running the flag through his hand. It had to be. Every sign pointed to it: her age, her appearance, the crest, the brown hair, and the magic which obviously came from the flower. But should he tell her?

"Thank you, sir," the girl finally said softly before turning away, but before she could take a step they heard a call of, "To the boats!"

"If I can just say one more thing?" The man said. "If this is your first time seeing this, you'll want good seats. I've got a boat down at the docks you can use. You'll know it because it'll be the only one still there."

"Thank you, sir," Rapunzel said again. "You've been very kind."

The man merely nodded, returning to his book. Jack decided not to say anything yet. She'd been waiting for this day for her entire life; he wanted to let her enjoy it before he turned that life upside down.

It took them a few minutes to find the docks, and as the man had predicted, there was only one boat there.

Jack hopped into it, while Rapunzel climbed down carefully from the wooden dock, and as she took her seat and Jack untied the mooring rope, she realized, "There are no oars in here. How are we going to move?"

"I got it covered," Jack smirked. "Wind, if you please?"

The boat began to slowly glide out into the water, and she smiled gratefully and began looking around, impressed at the view of the island town and the forest on the other side.

Turning her attention to the water, she leaned over the boat and dipped her hand into it. "It's so still. I didn't think it would be so still," she sighed sadly.

"What's wrong, Rapunzel? Isn't this what you've been waiting for?"

"It is. I've spent eighteen years watching from my window, imagining what this day would be like. What if it's…"

She trailed off, and Jack finished for her. "What if it's not everything you've dreamed?"

"Exactly!"

"It will be," He said certainly.

"And what if it is?" she asked. "What then?"

"Well, that's the fun part. You get to go find another dream."

She smiled at him gratefully, but her response was distracted by the first lantern being released. She watched it float up into the sky, until it was joined by others. She rushed to the front of the boat, leaning against the prow, and Jack had to keep it from tipping as she moved.

She watched in wonder as the lanterns floated towards them, completely surrounding the boat, and even Jack, who had lived three hundred years, was moved by the beauty of it.

A lantern decorated with the crest of Corona floated up to them, nearly touching down on the water, and Rapunzel leaned perilously over the edge of the boat to catch it, pushing it back up again. As she turned back towards Jack, she smiled at something behind him, and he turned to see two lanterns sitting behind him in the boat, with a pack of matches.

He lifted them gently, and Rapunzel sat eagerly in front of him as he tried to light a match. Having no luck, he shrugged helplessly and handed it to Rapunzel, for whom it lit first try.

She touched it gently to the wicks of both lanterns, before shaking the match out. She reached out with both hands, taking one of the lanterns from Jack's hand and, after hesitating a moment, took his free hand in hers. She didn't even react to the cold.

She smiled shyly at him, and they both pushed the lanterns into the sky, watching them dance around each other until they blended in with the rest.

They sat in the boat as the lights floated around them, staring at each other more than anything else.


	9. Fear Returns

By the time the lanterns were thinning out, the sky was starting to lighten.

Rapunzel sighed. "I guess I should head back home."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "You're still going back?"

"I have to. Where else would I go?"

Jack looked away uncomfortably and put a hand in his pocket as Wind started pushing the boat towards the dock.

"What if you had somewhere else?"

"I can't leave Mother, Jack. It would kill her to even know I did this."

"The Lost Princess," Jack said abrubptly.

Rapunzel's face twisted in bewilderment. "What about her?"

"They found brown hair in her crib. What if it wasn't the kidnapper's hair?"

"Of course it was," Rapunzel said as the boat stopped at the docks. Jack gave her a moment to consider it as he jumped out and tied the boat off. "The princess was blonde. It couldn't have been hers."

Jack offered her a hand and pulled her onto the dock, looking her in the eyes as he asked, "But what if it was?"

Her eyes widened, and her hand floated up to the right side of her head, behind her ear.

"When it's cut, it turns brown and loses its magic," Jack repeated.

"I'm the lost princess?" She breathed.

OoOoO

"She figured it out."

The voice seemed to come from the shadows themselves, but Gothel had been expecting the sound. The news it brought, though, infuriated her. "Jack Frost," she spat, treating the name almost like a curse word.

"Yes, he does have a troublesome habit of interfering," the voice agreed, and the same tall, black-clad man from the tower emerged from a shadow, grinning darkly. "We'll be putting an end to that tonight."

OoOoO

A terrified scream rang out across the water. Rapunzel immediately ran for the bridge. "Come on, Jack, we have to help," she gasped.

"Slow down for a second," Jack replied, taking to the air, and as he passed her, he grabbed her hand and lifted her up with him, carrying her directly across the water.

"Where did it come from?" Rapunzel asked as they set down on the beach, and Jack took a second to appreciate that she hadn't even acknowledged that she just flew.

"I'm not sure," he said, but then the sound of pained whimpering drew them towards some large boulders. As they came around it, they found a middle aged woman with dark curly hair hunched on the ground. She wore a red dress with a black traveling cloak over it.

Rapunzel froze in shock at the sight of her, but when the woman looked up and saw the blonde, her face seemed split by relief and fear.

She leapt up and threw her arms around Rapunzel, who hesitantly hugged her back. "Mother, what are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you, Rapunzel, and I got attacked by a Ruffian. Come on, we need to get home before he comes back," she said, tugging on Rapunzel, but the girl wouldn't budge.

"The world's not like you say it is," Rapunzel stated.

"Come on, Rapunzel. You haven't seen it yet, but it's there. Everybody is out for themselves. Remember, mother knows-"

"No," Rapunzel cut her off firmly.

"No?" Gothel repeated incredulously. She was going to continue, but Rapunzel cut her off again.

"That's right, no. The only one I've seen who is out for themselves is you, Mother. Or should I even call you that?"

The woman's face darkened, and Jack stepped forward, taking Rapunzel's arm. "Um, maybe we should go." There was nobody who needed help. It was just a trap.

"Oh, but the party's just beginning," A voice said from behind Gothel that was all too familiar to Jack.

"Pitch," he growled, pointing his staff.

"Rapunzel, I really don't want to be the bad guy here, but I will be if you make me," Gothel said darkly as Pitch emerged from the shadows.

"I, on the other hand, take great delight in being the bad guy. Hello again, Jack."

"You have no power, here, Pitch," Jack said.

"Oh, don't I? I may not have belief, but there will always be fear, and fear holds greater power than you can imagine. I still know your fears, Jack," he said, and melted into the shadows once more.

"I'm over that, Pitch. I know why Manny chose me, and I have belief."

"Yes, I know," Pitch said distastefully, his voice now coming from behind them. "How could I forget those six little children who helped defeat the Nightmare King? It's truly cruel of you, sentencing me to the same fate that you suffered for so long," Pitch whined, his voice sounding genuinely hurt.

Jack didn't fall for it, though. "We wouldn't have to if you weren't trying to destroy everything good in the world," he retorted.

The voice was now off to their right side. "Yes, I suppose you're right," Pitch replied. "But no matter. Now, I'll settle for just destroying you. Fears change, Jack." The last statement came from mere inches behind Jack and Rapunzel, and both of them spun around, but there was nothing there.

"You can even get new ones," Pitch continued, and they both spun around once more to find him standing right next to Gothel. "For example, at the moment you're worried that you won't be able to protect her."

"Shut up, Pitch!"

"But you have a deeper fear. You're afraid she doesn't feel the same way you do. And more importantly, you're afraid that she does."

Jack rushed at Pitch, but he simply stepped backwards, vanishing into the shadows. Jack followed him, but as soon as he passed out of the light, a mass of black sand flew towards him. He dove out of the way, but to his horror it kept going, straight for Rapunzel.

She whimpered slightly in fear, but Jack flew towards her, knocking her out of the way just as the sand turned into a nightmare and slammed into him. He bounced off the boulder that Gothel had hidden behind, landing hard on the ground as the nightmare dissolved, returning to the shadows. Rapunzel helped him stand as he fought to get his breath back.

A set of eyes gleamed in the darkness, and Jack rushed towards them, firing sharp shards of ice from his staff which were narrowly intercepted by another mass of black sand. The sand gave way immediately. Pitch's voice, ringing with frustration, called out, "I'll be back," and then the shadows grew lighter.

Pitch had realized Jack was stronger than him now and he'd fled. Just as Jack realized that he was gone, though, pain bloomed in the back of his head, and the last thing he heard before darkness overtook his vision was Rapunzel screaming his name.


	10. A New Dream

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians or Tangled. If I did, well, I wouldn't still be living with my parents.

"I'll never let you use my hair again."

Gothel was dragging Rapunzel roughly through the woods, and the girl was fighting back aggressively.

"I'm not asking, Rapunzel. You made me be the bad guy, but I'm not afraid to do it."

They passed close enough to a tree for Rapunzel to reach it, and she grabbed a hold of it tightly, stopping them both abruptly.

Gothel's face twisted into a snarl, and her fist flew towards Rapunzel's head, knocking the girl unconscious.

OoOoO

The sun was high in the sky when Jack awoke on a thick patch of ice.

He sat up, groaning and rubbing the back of his head, ignoring the two fishermen that were trying to figure out where the ice had come from.

How had he gotten there? He'd found his grave, and then Wind led him to a tower…

Rapunzel! It all came back to him at once, and he took off like a shot towards the tower.

OoOoO

Rapunzel woke up in a heap on the floor. A chain, maybe five feet long, connected her hands, bound behind her back, to a hook on the wall nearby. A strip of cloth had been tied around her mouth, keeping her from being able to speak. Her long hair, damp from the now melted ice flowers, had obviously been brushed recently and was carefully piled near her.

Rapunzel tried getting her hands free, but it was no use, so she stopped, glowering at the now gray-haired, wrinkled woman that bustled about the tower, erasing all signs of their presence except the paintings.

"Oh, don't give me that look, Rapunzel," She said, and even her voice was rougher. "This is all your own fault, really."

Gothel was walking near Rapunzel when the wind changed direction, blowing into the tower, and immediately Gothel grabbed the girl up, wrapping one arm around her and holding a knife to her throat, but leaving the other hand free.

When Rapunzel's head stopped spinning from the sudden movement, she saw the reason for it; Jack was standing in the tower, looking furious.

"Let her go," He demanded of the old witch.

"Sorry, no can do," She said conversationally, then directed her speech towards Rapunzel. "You know, I really ought to thank you for not singing for me in so long. It's made it so much easier to do this," she said, holding out her free hand. A green fireball appeared, and almost before it had even formed she was hurling it at Jack. He tried to dodge, but even with Wind's help, he couldn't move fast enough, and the fire hit him in the chest.

He flew backwards, and Wind set him down gently on the floor, but Rapunzel could hear that he was struggling to breath.

Rapunzel stood frozen for a moment staring at him in horror, but then she was tugged backwards violently. Gothel had grabbed the chain and was dragging the girl towards a door, but Rapunzel fought as hard as she could to get back to Jack.

"Stop fighting, Rapunzel," Gothel growled, and Rapunzel gave a great heave, landing on the floor with a thud.

She'd pulled the chain out of Gothel's hand, and when she hit the floor she'd managed to dislodge the gag so she could respond, "No! I will never stop fighting. Every minute of every day, for the rest of our lives, I will fight you."

Gothel snarled, and raised a hand as if to hit Rapunzel. Instead of ducking, however, she said, "But, if you let me heal him, I'll go with you willingly. I won't complain. I'll be the perfect, silent daughter you want."

Gothel took a moment to consider, and she must have agreed, because the next thing Rapunzel knew Jack had been chained to the wall, and she had been freed.

When she leaned over him, he was shaking his head and mouthing no, but she ignored him. She picked up his limp arm and put it on her head, and began singing.

Rapunzel didn't even notice that Jack had formed an ice blade in his free hand until, with the last of his strength, he reached up and cut off her hair just above the shoulder.

Her eyes widened in horror as she watched all of the hair on the floor turn brown. Gothel started grabbing at the piles of hair, trying in vain to keep it from turning brown, but as it did, she grew older and older, and when the last of it changed her hands had begun crumbling to dust. Wind pushed her out the window, and they didn't even hear her scream.

"Why did you do that?" Rapunzel asked, still horrified.

Jack spoke so weakly that she had to put her ear right next to his mouth to understand him when he said, "You're not a slave."

"Oh, Jack," She cried. "What Pitch said…" he shook his head, but she ignored him, saying, "I do feel the same. You were my new dream."

While she was still speaking, his chest stopped moving, and his previously tense muscles slumped to the floor.

"No," she sobbed, desperately putting his hand back on her head and singing again.

 _Flower gleam and glow_

 _Let your power shine_

 _Make the clock reverse_

Her voice broke, and she collapsed against his shoulder, sobbing.

She stopped in confusion, though, when a bright golden glow shone through her eyelids. She watched in amazement as what looked like glowing gold dust made a pattern of a flower in the air, before being drawn into the burn on Jack's chest, and then she couldn't even see it anymore as even his shirt stitched itself back together.

She watched in amazement, not entirely sure what was happening until Jack gasped, and then his arms were around her neck, pulling her back against him.

"You were mine too."

 **A/N: Sorry if that felt rushed. It felt rushed to me, but that might just be because I wrote it. You are your own biggest critic and all that, I guess. But if it's not just me, then apologies. And don't worry, there will be more!**


	11. A Long Awaited Reunion

**Disclaimer: If I was stupid rich, I would own Rise of the Guardians and Tangled. Alas, with my job at a pizzeria and some nice student loans, and the fact that some woman in California apparently won that ridiculous $1.5 billion powerball, it's not really a possibility.**

The newly brunette girl shuffled nervously up the hill, ignoring the funny looks she got from the people of Corona, especially when she threw her arm out in front of her and stumbled, for no apparent reason.

In reality, there was a reason, simply one they couldn't see: A white haired teenager ran ahead of her, occasionally turning around to pull on her arm and attempt to speed her up.

"Come on, Rapunzel," he encouraged. "It's been eighteen years. I think you've all been waiting long enough!"

He grabbed her arm again, and this time she let him pull her along, not even stopping to wonder for a moment how that would look to the people they passed in the streets. Before she knew it, they were up the giant stairs and standing in front of the door to the palace.

In front of it stood a single guard, who was giving Rapunzel a very strange look, probably for the way she'd been leaned over when she arrived, breathless.

"Can I help you?" the guard asked dubiously.

"I certainly hope so, sir," she said politely, only panting slightly. "My name is Rapunzel, and…"

She trailed off nervously, and when he realized the expectant look wasn't quite cutting it, prompted her, "And?"

Jack put a cold but comforting hand on her shoulder, and she stood up straighter and finished, slightly more confidently, "And I'm the lost princess."

The guard's jaw dropped, and he simply stared at her for a moment before frantically saying, "Wait right here! Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back!" He turned and burst through the doors, not even bothering to push them closed, and they slowly swung shut behind him on their own.

As soon as the doors slammed shut, what little confidence she'd managed to pull together vanished. She'd have fallen to her knees if Jack hadn't caught her. "Are you ok?" he asked, and she looked up at him with unshed tears swimming in her eyes. "Whoa, Rapunzel, what's wrong?"

"I… I'm terrified," she said honestly. "What if they don't like me?"

"Rapunzel, they're your parents. Of course they will."

"But it's been eighteen years," she said plaintively. "They had a festival every year on my birthday, Jack! They've looked for me so hard… they probably know what they want to find. What if I'm not it?" she asked, and Jack could see the panic growing in her face.

"You are," he repeated. "Rapunzel…"

She didn't listen. She just pulled away from him, running towards the stairs. Instead of chasing her, Jack simply flipped into the air, landing squarely in front of her. "What are you doing?"

"I can't do this, Jack," she pleaded. "Let me go."

"Go where?" he asked. "Back to that tower, alone? With only an invisible winter spirit for company? Is that really what you want?"

"You'd be great company, though!"

Jack gave her a deadpan look before imploring her, "Rapunzel, I'd give anything for one more day with my family, but they're gone. Yours isn't. It's inside, waiting for you, wanting desperately to know you." He could see her faltering, and asked, softly, "Don't you want to know them too?"

She nodded slowly, and Jack smiled, victorious. "So get back over there and meet your parents, who could not possibly not love you, because you are a caring, smart, talented, amazing woman."

She blushed slightly, and turned around just in time to see the doors fly open again, the guard from before closely followed by the couple from the mural. The woman looked the same, but the man's brown hair had grayed significantly, and his forehead was covered with frown lines.

"Um, hi," Rapunzel said as they stared at her in shock. She reached for a lock of long hair to twirl around her fingers, and finding none, dropped her hands to her sides again."I-"

"Is it really you?" The king asked. She nodded slightly, and before she could do anything else, they were hugging her.

Jack smiled and started floating off slowly, but Rapunzel saw the motion from the corner of her eye and reached out and grabbed him before he could leave.

OoOoO

After the longest hug that Jack had ever seen, Rapunzel's hand firmly wrapped around his staff the entire time, the reunited family had moved into a small room just inside the palace, which the king referred to as the reception room.

The room, which was comfortably furnished with a large sofa and several plush armchairs, sported three huge windows granting beautiful views of Corona, as well as an oversized fireplace that didn't appear to be used often.

The monarchs encouraged their daughter to make herself comfortable, and the girl sat daintily on the edge of the sofa's middle seat. As the king and queen took seats in the nearest armchairs, not wanting to crowd her, Jack started to float out again, but at a pleading look from Rapunzel he dropped into an unoccupied chair, his head propped on one armrest and his feet draped over the other.

As Rapunzel began explaining where she'd been the last eighteen years, and everything that had happened in the days since leaving her tower, Jack amused himself (and relieved the pressure, a tiny bit) by creating intricately detailed snowflakes in the air above him. The king and queen were so absorbed in the story that they didn't even notice.

When Rapunzel mentioned Pitch escaping, the snowflake that Jack had been working on shattered, causing a cold breeze to flow throughout the room. Rapunzel shot him a sympathetic glance and the king shivered, but the queen didn't seem to notice.

When Rapunzel had finished her tale, both of her parents sat in contemplative silence for a few minutes, before her mother spoke up to ask gently, "This Jack that you spoke of…" At his name, Jack immediately hopped out of the chair. "Where is he now? We'd like to thank him for helping you."

Rapunzel looked at him sadly as he walked over to her, perching himself on the armrest of her couch. "Um…" she began uncertainly, as her gaze flickered to Jack. "I'm not sure what I should tell them…" She said to him.

Rapunzel's parents looked at each other in confusion, and Jack held back an amused smirk. "Well, since they've already seen you talking to yourself," he began, and Rapunzel blushed as she looked back to them. "I'd recommend the truth. Hey, there's a chance they'll even believe you!"

"Ok then," Rapunzel said, taking a deep breath to prepare herself. "It's not just Jack. It's Jack Frost."

Both of their eyes clouded in confusion for a moment as the king muttered, "Jack Frost… Why do I know that name?"

The queen suddenly snapped her fingers. "That's it! Jack Frost nipping at your nose!"

"What?" the king and Rapunzel asked in unison.

"Oh. Well, you don't know this," the queen said to Rapunzel. "But I grew up in a much colder climate. There was a legend of an immortal spirit named Jack Frost who brought winter to the lands. My parents used to tell me that if I didn't dress warmly, Jack Frost would nip at my nose and I'd fall ill."

"Well that seems to align with what I know, though he didn't mention that he was immortal," Rapunzel said, once again glancing at the white haired teen, who shrugged and grinned impishly.

"So I've been around for three hundred some odd years and haven't aged. Big deal."

Rapunzel's eyes widened slightly at him, but when she realized her father had also spoken, she blushed slightly and turned back towards her parents. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I asked if you are saying that this… _spirit_ was your companion."

"Um… yes?" Rapunzel said uncertainly.

"But… he's real?" her mother asked, her eyes wide, and Jack found himself surprised she hadn't dismissed the idea immediately.

Not expecting to be heard by anyone other than Rapunzel, Jack was speaking mostly to himself when he looked the queen right in the eye and said, "Yes, I am."

The woman fell back into her chair in shock, her eyes trained on Jack, and she stuttered out, "J- Jack Frost?"

Well. He certainly hadn't been expecting _that_.

 **Well, a short-ish chapter again, but you also got two in less than a week. I apologize for my utter lack of update schedule. Sometimes I make you wait months, other times only a few days. Life is weird. And people are weirder. But I digress.**

 **On a more story related note... I know that may have seemed a bit to** ** _easy_** **to some of you, but it makes complete sense when you consider a few other key points. One, Jack Frost, while at this point not widely believed in, is still a commonly known name, especially to those in/from colder climates. Two, Even Jamie was convinced fairly easily once he knew who Jack was and accepted the possibility of him actually, you know, existing. His friends were even more easily convinced after having seen Jamie flying. Three, we're talking about a kingdom that wholeheartedly believed in the existence of a magical sunflower that could save their queen (which, spoiler alert, wound up being real). Four, (and this one is specifically directed at the mother), did anybody else notice how at the end of Tangled, Rapunzel's father has quite significantly visibly aged, while her mother looks exactly the same. My theory, which from what I've seen is shared by many people, is that the flower had a more lasting affect on her than they expected it to (take note of that. for real).**

 **Well, wall of text. Sorry. I'll let you all return to your regularly scheduled programming now. Goodnight.**

 **Or good whatever time of day it is when you read this.**

 **I should probably stop typing on this Author's note now.**

 **'Kay, bye.**


	12. The Return of the Lost Princess

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians or Tangled. Well, I own the movies on dvd, but I don't own the rights to them. It's on my Christmas list though.**

"You can see me?" Jack asked, amazed.

"You can see him?" Rapunzel echoed, just as surprised.

She nodded silently, staring in wonder at Jack.

He flipped from the couch onto the floor in front of her and asked, softly, "Really?"

She nodded again and asked, "Where did you come from?"

"Where did who come from?" The king asked in confusion, and was completely ignored.

Jack shrugged. "It's one of those cases where believing is seeing, rather than the other way around. I've been here the whole time." He held out a hand to her, and she hesitantly took it, shivering slightly at his cold touch. He helped her sit upright in the chair, then bowed regally and kissed the back of her hand, causing her to shiver again. "It's a pleasure to meet you, your majesty."

"The pleasure's mine," she responded faintly.

"Carina," the king called, finally drawing his wife's attention. "Who are you talking to?"

"Adrian, it's Jack Frost," she laughed joyfully.

"Where?" the man asked, bewildered.

"Right there," she said, pointing in front of her. "You don't see him?"

Jack shrugged. "Like I said, believing is seeing. If he doesn't believe…"

"Wait, Jack," Rapunzel said suddenly. "She said you bring winter?"

"Sure do," Jack agreed.

"So that means everyone can see your magic, right? Plus, those little girls could see your flowers," she pointed out, her eyes glowing. "So couldn't you… show him?"

Jack's eyes widened when he realized that was essentially exactly what he'd done for Jamie with the frost rabbit, and for all of Jamie's friends by flying him around town. But what could he do for the king?

Well, it had worked before, so why mess with it? Besides, animals were fun. Jack closed his eyes briefly in concentration, and in front of him formed a transparent white rabbit. It looked around in confusion before hopping through the air as if there were solid ground under it towards the king, who was staring openmouthed.

The rabbit stopped a foot in front of the king, staring at him, and then hopped once more, right at his face. It didn't hit him though, instead bursting into flurried of snow that filled the room.

The king's eyes widened further, and he stared wordlessly at the snowflakes as they slowly drifted down, melting before they even touched the floor. When the snow had drawn his eyes down, they widened even further at the sight of the white-haired teen now standing barefoot in the middle of the room.

"You're… The Jack Frost."

A nod.

"The Jack Frost is standing in my home."

"Sure am," he replied.

There was a moment where the two monarchs simply stared at him in wonder, but at almost the exact same time, they got over their shock and stood up to face him.

"You kept our daughter safe," Adrian stated. He didn't say it grandly, it was a simple statement of fact.

"Well, I-" Jack began to protest, his cheeks turning slightly more blue, but Carina interrupted him.

"You helped her return to us," she said in the same tone.

"I guess so," Jack said awkwardly.

And then they were hugging him.

OoOoO

King Adrian and Queen Carina planned a festival to celebrate the return of the Lost Princess. They sent out word to everyone who could make it in time that in two weeks, there would be a huge celebration.

Most of the people invited had only just left Corona from the lantern festival, but nobody cared. They were too thrilled. It was like Rapunzel had returned from the dead. Everybody wanted to meet the Lost Princess, and congratulate the monarchs.

The two weeks flew by, and Rapunzel was having a very hard time adjusting to palace life after having lived in a tower with only one other person for the rest of her life. Despite the fact that she was struggling to adjust, however, she seemed to be loved by every person she met.

She was constantly afraid that she'd fail to meet people's expectations, yet in reality she constantly exceeded them, treating each person as though they were special. She managed to bring out the soft sides of the local tavern's rough patrons, and even had the fiercest horse in the kingdom behaving like an excitable puppy for her.

And so, by the time the day of the party arrived, Corona packed nearly to its limits, most of the people in attendance felt just as happy as the king and queen did to have this wonderfully kind, thoughtful, caring girl in their lives.

If the streets had seemed crowded for the festival, it was nothing compared to this. Rather than being limited to the market, there were vendors on every corner. Musicians and street performers had already begun performing by the time Rapunzel came out of her bedroom, wearing a new dress that mirrored the style she'd worn before.

Her parents had been waiting in the hall for her, standing next to a window that hadn't been closed since Rapunzel had moved into the room next to it. This made her parents very nervous, after what happened when she was a baby, but she had absolutely insisted, so they'd posted a guard next to the window and allowed it.

As she emerged from her room and stated she was ready, the queen sighed once again at her daughter's conspicuously bare feet. "I wish you would wear shoes."

Rapunzel smiled. "I told you, I will if it gets too cold. Otherwise, I prefer being barefoot."

"I'm right there with you," Jack said, appearing in the window and making the guard jump. "Well, except for the part about the cold. Karl," he said, nodding to the guard in greeting.

The guard nodded in return.

He was the reason the window was open, of course. He visited daily, and after two weeks, most of the guards and palace staff could see him, as well as most of the children of Corona.

"Good morning, Jack," Rapunzel grinned at him.

"So are you excited about your party?" Jack asked her, and she nodded excitedly.

She turned to her parents, and her mother was grinning ear to ear, but her father's smile looked a bit forced.

"Um… Is everything alright?" Rapunzel asked him uncertainly. His face fell, and Queen Carina put a comforting hand on his arm.

"My sister and her husband sent word they'd be coming. They should have arrived two days ago."

"I'm sure everything will be fine, dear. They probably just had unfavorable winds and got delayed at sea," His wife reassured him.

He smiled gratefully, taking her hand, and said, "Well, shall we?"

Rapunzel nodded, and they all made their way to the front of the castle. They stepped to the balcony at the top of the steps, and the king looked out at the gathered crowds, proudly announcing, "It is my honor to officially present, for the first time in eighteen years, Rapunzel: Princess of Corona."

The crowd cheered deafeningly. That's when the party really started.

 **AN: I'm gonna start out on a completely unrelated note... *raises wand* Rest in Peace, Alan Rickman. The world has lost a great actor, and an even greater man (and only six days after David Bowie! 2016, get your act together!). You once said that when you were eighty years old, sitting in your rocking chair reading Harry Potter, your family would ask "After all this time?" and your response would be, "Always." It saddens me greatly to know that you'll never reach eighty, but know that we'll all be doing it in memory of you.**

 **Always.**

 **Now, on a bit more story-related note, some of you have probably already guessed where I'm going to be taking this next, but the next chapter will make it a bit more clear. Also, woo party!**

 **I'm going to try and get the next update out soonish, but i just recently got into WoW, and that's a game that my laptop can actually handle running. So... yeah... apologies in advance if i get super distracted.**

 **Til next time. Sayonara, adios, au revoir, hasta la pasta**


	13. Don't Snow on my Parade

**Disclaimer: So I don't own RotG or Tangled. But I'm pretty sure you all knew that. One can dream, though.**

Jack had explained that he didn't need to eat, but Rapunzel asked, "Does that mean you _can't_?"

He'd sighed a no, so she had absolutely insisted that he try every new food she did, which of course was nearly every food available at the palace, and every single foreign foods being sold at the festival, so by the time she'd made it through every food stand and then danced with him and the crowds until her feet were sore, Jack was feeling slightly ill.

He also desperately needed to use his magic. He'd never had so many people believe in him, and it was amazing how much stronger his powers were. He completely understood now why the other guardians had been affected so strongly by the loss of Easter when they'd been living for centuries with the belief of nearly every child on the planet.

He was sure he'd get used to it eventually, just as they had, but for now… It was a bit overwhelming.

That's why Jack was actually pretty relieved when the king tracked him down.

"Jack, I have a huge favor to ask you," The king said, looking around to make sure his wife and daughter weren't in earshot.

"Of course, your highness," Jack responded, and the king rolled his eyes slightly.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's Adrian."

"Yes sir," Jack smirked. "What can I do for you?"

"Um…" the king began, looking around once again. "Well, it's my sister. I know that it's possible for them to have been delayed two days, but it's also very unlikely, and I just…"

"You can't stop worrying, right?" Jack asked sympathetically.

"Yeah," he said, relieved that Jack understood. "I know you can fly, and rather quickly, so I was hoping that you'd be willing to go check on the ship?"

"Of course," Jack agreed immediately. The king smiled his thanks before going off to speak with other people, his ever present guard hovering nearby.

Jack found Rapunzel a block away, playing merrily with a group of children. He tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned, he explained apologetically, "I've got to take off for a bit."

Her shoulders drooped in disappointment, and she asked, "Do you have to?"

"Rapunzel, you know the pressure's building quicker with so many more people believing in me, and I don't want to snow on your parade."

"Ok, fine," she pouted. "You'll be back by dark, though? You won't miss the lanterns?"

"I won't miss the lanterns," he promised. "See you later."

He started to lift off, but Rapunzel grabbed his arm and pulled him back down just long enough to kiss his cheek, before turning back to the children with a dark red blush on her cheeks.

Jack had to take a moment to process what just happened before he flew away, a blue tinge tinting his pale cheeks.

OoOoO

True to his word, Jack returned just as the sky was darkening, and found Rapunzel with her parents on the balcony outside their bedroom. All three monarchs gave him brilliant smiles when he dropped out of the sky in front of them.

Four lanterns sat waiting on a table, already lit. Two were identical, decorated simply with the crest of Corona. The other two were much more detailed, and Jack could tell Rapunzel had painted them herself. One held the flower crest in the middle, with thin, wispy lines curling out from it and wrapping themselves all the way around the lantern. The other was decorated with countless snowflakes, each as intricate and unique as the ones Jack made in real life.

"I have news for you," Jack said to King Adrian, trying not to let his voice reveal anything too soon.

"It can wait," he said, glancing at his wife and daughter. "For now, we have lanterns to launch."

Adrian and Carina gestured to Rapunzel to go first, and she did, untying the ribbon holding down her lantern before gently pushing it into the sky. Her parents' and Jack's lanterns followed hers, and as the four of them floated up into the sky, dancing around each other, Corona slowly filled with floating lights.

After a few minutes of watching them, Jack was about to try talking to the king again, but Rapunzel spoke before he could. "They're so beautiful from down here… Imagine how magical it would be from up there?" She said, looking at Jack hopefully.

"Alright, come on," he smirked, holding his arms out. She jumped into them, and he took off, floating among the lanterns.

He much preferred the cold, and had even gotten sick before from getting too hot, but he couldn't deny how much he enjoyed the feeling of her warm body snuggled against his chest.

She didn't seem to mind the cold so much, either.

As they floated lazily around the island, Rapunzel reached out to brush her hand against each lantern that grew close enough. After a while, she feigned offhandedness to ask, "Jack, you've been alive a long time, right?" He laughed as he confirmed. "Well, have you ever fallen in love before?"

"Oh," Jack said, looking away from her awkwardly. "Well… why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering what it feels like, because I think I might love you," she said, focusing a little too strongly on the lanterns.

After a long pause, Jack said softly, "I think I love you too."

OoOoO

It wasn't until the lanterns had mostly burned out and disappeared that Jack and Rapunzel finally returned to the balcony. The king and queen were leaning against each other, smiling contentedly.

"This day was amazing," Rapunzel said.

"It was," her father agreed.

"Oh, Jack, you mentioned earlier that you had something to tell us?" Carina asked.

It was like somebody threw a bucket of cold water on him.

Actually, he probably wouldn't mind that. More like somebody had thrown a bucket of hot water on him. Whatever the temperature of the water was, though, it was an unpleasant enough sensation that it managed to wash away all of the joy that he'd been feeling.

"Oh, right," he said, directing his attention to Kind Adrian. "Your sister is the queen of Arendelle, right?"

"She is," he said, immediately standing straighter. "Did you find some news?"

"I did," Jack said sadly. "And I'm afraid it's not good."

 **Dun dun dun...**

 **That's right, folks. I went there.**

 **So Jack's never struck me as a particularly respectful person unless it's actually important to him, but once he noticed that Rapunzel's father was a bit uncomfortable with it, of course his prankster side would have required him to continue just for kicks. And, ok, it amuses me too.**

 **On an entirely unrelated note (I'm good at doing that, aren't I?), EIGHT DAYS 'TIL DEADPOOL!**


	14. Selfishness

**Disclaimer: Things I do own: a cobbled together, Frankenstein laptop named The Laptop that Shall not be Named (or Voldemort for short), a wildly overactive (or maybe just active enough) imagination and passable writing skills. Things i do not own: Rise of the Guardians and Tangled.**

It was a very familiar scene in the capital of Corona. The streets were crowded with people who clearly didn't get there often; women studied maps, men took wrong turns and became hopelessly lost before finally asking for directions. Children tugged their parents along, wondrously pointing out sights they'd never dreamed before that they'd see.

There were booths everywhere as there hadn't been enough space for them all in the marketplace, and vendors shouting into the crowds trying to draw customers. They were selling everything from foreign food to clothing to handmade jewelry and trinkets.

On every street corner there were musicians, and a few people danced as children played and drew with chalk in the streets.

There was a familiar scene happening in the castle, as well. A palace guard stood at attention between an open window and a closed door, and just as the door opened, admitting the princess, her parents rounded the corner to greet her.

They greeted each other with hugs and Rapunzel, with an air of someone who'd already made this argument many, many times and didn't think it'd get them far but said it anyways, said, "You really don't have to do all of this for me."

"It's already done," Her father reminded her. "The guests and vendors are here, the lanterns are made. Besides, we have many lost years to make up for."

She smiled, but before she could respond, a cold breeze carried Jack through the window.

"Tomas," he greeted the guard with a nod.

"Jack," Tomas returned the nod politely, showing no other reaction to the spirit.

Then he turned to the king and queen and greeted them with what would have been a respectful bow, but for the mischievous smirk on his face. "Your majesties."

The king rolled his eyes. "Adrian! If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times," he muttered as his wife chuckled at his exasperation.

"And as for you," he continued, finally turning to Rapunzel and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Happy nineteenth birthday, princess."

OoOoO

Jack could tell that Rapunzel really wanted to talk to him about something, but he kept avoiding it. He wouldn't even be able to explain why if someone were to ask, nor could he understand his extreme nervousness when she finally simply grabbed his hand and dragged him off into a quiet alley. Or at least, quiet in the sense that it wasn't crowded with people; one had to know the city well to know it was there, and everyone wanted to be out where the activity was.

Jack did, too, as Rapunzel took his cold hands in her warm ones and smiled up at him. "Do you realize it's been almost a year since we met?"

Jack almost unconsciously pulled one hand free to reach up and move a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Of course I do. I'm old, but I'm not senile yet," he joked.

Rapunzel smiled a bit nervously, and said, "I know that this usually happens differently, but I didn't grow up with the same traditions, and we didn't exactly meet in a usual way either."

"Rapunzel, I-" Jack began uncertainly, but she didn't let him derail her.

"This last year has been amazing and terrifying and just so… different from the rest of my life. I don't think I could have made it without you. I don't know where I'd be now, and I don't want to either. I can't imagine my life without you."

Jack's heart didn't beat anymore, but it was still as if he could feel it in his throat. He pulled his other hand away and stepped away with a gasp, and was distantly surprised to note that his hands were shaking. What was wrong with him? Why was he so panicked?

Rapunzel looked saddened by his reaction, but not at all surprised. "I can't imagine my life without you," she repeated. "But I know you're going to live much longer than me, and at some point you will have to live without me." Jack felt himself calm as he realized that that was it. That was exactly why he was so freaked out. He hadn't even known that. Somehow, this amazing, beautiful woman had known why he felt the way he did before he did himself.

"I know it would be kinder of me to let you go now," she continued, "And save you that pain. But I'm going to be selfish anyways, and ask you…" Rapunzel took a deep, shaky breath and asked, ever so softly, "Will you be my husband?"

She fell silent as Jack considered it. She was so alive. She'd be better off with someone who could match that, but as she'd just proved, she wanted him.

She wanted _him_.

She'd said she was being selfish, but despite the fact that he'd have to watch her grow old, and eventually pass away, while he remained, he still felt that he was the one being selfish. He took her left hand in both of his, and when he let it go again, there was a band of literal ice around her ring finger.

"Yes."

She was worth the pain.

 **I know this was a rather short chapter, but i just really wanted it to be in there. Also...** **DEADPOOL WAS SOOOOO GOOOD!**

 **Seriously. I've seen it twice now. And if you haven't, well, WHY THE HECK NOT?**


	15. The Coronation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, or Tangled. Or Frozen.**

Three years after Rapunzel's return to Corona…

A young brunette woman in a light purple dress descended a ship onto the docks. She was walking uncomfortably, as if her shoes didn't fit quite right. As soon as her shoes touched the dock, she was looking around the sky, not seeming to care that she was in peoples' ways, but when a cold breeze blew by, ruffling her hair, she smiled, held her hand out awkwardly, and walked away.

The dock hands didn't know that she'd been waiting for her husband, because to them, he was invisible. As she left the dock and entered the crowded streets, she didn't get a second glance. The crowds were much too hectic for anybody to notice that she seemed like she was talking to herself.

"Can you believe we're finally here?" She asked excitedly, and her husband laughed.

"Rapunzel, you seem to forget that I've been visiting this place since long before you were born."

"Yes, I know, Jack, but it's the first time you'll have ever been here with me," she pointed out playfully. "Doesn't that make it special?"

"It does," He smiled, brushing her hair out of her face so he could kiss her forehead. "I'm just glad you made it in time. We don't even have an hour. I was afraid I'd have to stay with you the whole trip to keep Wind in a good mood," he teased as they walked through the center of town. "You're lucky she likes you."

To both of their amusement, a middle-aged woman was dragging her son through the square as he tried undressing himself right there in public. "Why do I have to wear this?" The boy complained.

"I told you already. The queen has come of age. It's coronation day," she said excitedly.

"That's not my fault!" The boy whined, and both of them laughed out loud.

"Come on," Rapunzel said eagerly. "They should be opening the gates soon!"

Just as predicted, the gates opened just as they reached them, and a girl burst through the doors. She had red hair with a white streak, and it had been twisted into an elaborate bun, artfully styled so that the white streak appeared repeatedly. She wore a green dress that looked very richly made, and a matching green ribbon hung from her bun. They both reached the same conclusion that this was the princess.

As she rushed past them, singing, Jack smirked at Rapunzel. "She must be related to you."

OoOoO

What followed was a very long and very boring ceremony. Several people in the audience had fallen asleep, and Jack almost found himself wishing that he still slept so that he could join them.

After what felt like forever, but was actually probably closer to two hours, Jack leaned over and whispered in his wife's ear, "Why can't I leave? Just go fly around a bit?"

Rapunzel gave him a dark look, and he argued, "Oh, come on. It's not like it would be rude. I bet nobody here can even see me."

Rapunzel simply rolled her eyes and subtly shook her head no.

Neither of them noticed that the red-haired princess, Anna, was giving them funny looks, because by the time their attention returned to the front she'd looked away at an auburn-haired man who waved to her sheepishly.

To everyone's relief, the man that had been droning on for hours finally instructed the audience to stand, and the white-haired queen-to-be stepped forward, reaching to pick up two objects. Jack didn't understand why it mattered, or even what the objects symbolized (nor did he care), but the man wouldn't let her lift them until she removed her gloves.

She turned, holding up a small scepter and some kind of ornamental ball, looking nervous. As the man kept speaking, her breathing quickened, and Jack could swear he saw ice forming in the items in her hands. He wanted to get a closer look, but almost as soon as he noticed it the man said, "Queen Elsa, of Arendelle."

Even as the crowd repeated it she was replacing the items on the pillow, pulling her gloves back on and breathing a visible sigh of relief.

As the crowd began to stream into the ballroom, Jack made his way to the front, and as he'd expected, found ice on the objects, just where the queen's hands had been, already melting away.

 _Weird…_

OoOoO

It was very clear to Jack that Arendelle celebrated much differently than Corona did.

Jack and Rapunzel had both been to many festivals, even just in the three years since she returned. The crowds at their wedding had been absolutely ridiculous. The entirety of Corona had been packed with wall to wall people, and the entirety of Corona spent most of the day dancing. It didn't matter to anyone who danced with who, or what the steps were, or even what they looked like as they danced, and both Jack and Rapunzel loved how free and lighthearted and _fun_ it was.

There was dancing at the ball, but it was different. There was the tango, and the waltz, and a whole lot more dances that Jack had never heard of. Each one had structured steps, a specific way to move and turn, and each one required a single, visible partner. There were no large group dances, or making up the steps as you go. The ball was a much stuffier, more formal event than either of them had ever attended.

And it would be pretty conspicuous if someone appeared to be waltzing without a partner. Therefore, Jack did not do a lot of dancing with his wife.

The guests in attendance had already been dancing for some time when a pounding indicated that an announcement was about to be made, and everybody turned towards a slightly raised dais at the front of the room. The queen, with her white hair tightly wound into a crown braid and holding a small silver crown, regally entered through a door in the corner and made her way onto the dais as a portly man announced, "Queen Elsa, of Arendelle."

"Princess Anna, of Arendelle," the man continued as the princess Anna rushed in, stumbling slightly, and stopped at the bottom of the stairs, out of breath. The man steered her up onto the dais beside her sister, and Jack could hear her saying, "Oh, up here? Really?"

As the music started back up, many people returned to dancing, but a line formed in front of the two women. Rapunzel got in line, and since she wasn't dancing with anybody, Jack used the opportunity to slip his arm through hers, lacing their fingers together.

She smiled at him, blushing slightly. Jack loved that even after two years of marriage, she still reacted that way to his touch.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Jack stopped her. "Hey, what did we talk about?" she rolled her eyes, but didn't respond verbally. "I don't want your cousins to think you're crazy, and with how most of Arendelle feels about magic, it's not a great place for a demo."

"Fine," she muttered under her breath, pouting once again. The only reason she'd even agreed to this was because Jack had insisted he knew Arendelle better than her. He was the man she loved, and she thought everybody should know who he was.

Finally, it was their turn, or at least Rapunzel's.

She stepped up to them and curtsied respectfully, although not very low, and said, "It's an honor to meet you both, your majesties. I am Princess Rapunzel of Corona."

Princess Anna gasped, her hands covering her mouth. "Really?"

Rapunzel smirked slightly. "Really."

"So you're the Lost Princess!" Anna exclaimed. "And… our cousin."

"That I am. I had hoped to be able to spend some time getting to know the two of you once the celebration is finished." She turned her attention to Elsa. "We are the same age, after all."

Anna looked thrilled at the prospect, but Elsa's demure smile showed no emotion as she responded, "That would be lovely, but unfortunately we're very busy, and it probably won't be possible."

Anna's face fell as Rapunzel graciously responded, "I understand."

"Ok," Anna said, trying not to pout. "And you are?"

Elsa was looking at Anna strangely, and it took both Rapunzel and Jack a moment to realize she was speaking to the winter spirit. Rapunzel had a slight look of panic as Jack smoothly bowed and introduced himself simply. "My name is Jack, your highness. It's an honor to meet you both, but as there are other people waiting we should probably move on."

"It's wonderful to have met you both," Rapunzel repeated for Elsa's benefit, curtsying once again before quickly moving away.

Elsa still looked confused, but to their relief a spritely old man, who introduced himself as the Duke of Weselton, shortly dragged Anna away and the matter seemed to be forgotten.

"So, I was definitely not expecting your cousin to believe in me," Jack said conversationally. Rapunzel nodded in agreement, wide-eyed.

She got pulled away by another random person wanting to brag that he'd danced with the Lost Princess, and Jack just wandered around the ballroom, bored. It was several more hours before something happened to draw his attention.

"I can't live like this anymore!" he heard Anna exclaim from maybe ten feet away. Jack turned and saw that she was calling after Elsa, who had been walking towards the exit, but turned back at Anna's outburst.

Jack didn't hear what the queen said as she turned away again, but it clearly hurt her to say it- and hurt her sister even more.

"Why do you shut me out?" Anna asked angrily. She reached for Elsa's hand, but as she pulled away only the glove came away in Anna's grasp.

Elsa spun around, fear in her eyes, cradling her bare hand to her chest. "Anna, give me my glove."

"Why do you shut the world out?" Anna continued, not acknowledging her sister's request as she clutched the glove tightly. Rapunzel reappeared beside Jack, slipping her hand into his.

"Enough, Anna," Elsa said, strained. She was backing towards the door fearfully.

"What are you so afraid of?" Anna asked just as Elsa reached the door.

"I said enough!" Elsa exclaimed, throwing her hands out, and as she did a ring of ice spikes appeared around her, pointing towards the crowd, separating her from them.

Gasps and shouts of fear rang out, but Elsa looked the most horrified. Rapunzel asked, "Jack, did you…?"

"It wasn't me," he said, shaking his head in the negative.

While Jack was still shaking his head, the Duke of Weselton said scandalously, "Sorcery… I knew there was something dubious going on here."

Those words seemed to break Elsa out of her shock. She turned and fled.

 **A/N: So. It's been well over a year since I updated this story. If anyone is even still reading this, then I owe you a huge apology.**

 **It's been a crazy year. I moved not once but three times, I lost my grandfather, I had my first surgery, I'm currently helping plan two weddings while holding down two jobs, and on top of all that I've been struggling with anxiety and depression. Also, I'm a terrible person, for leaving you all hanging so long.**

 **To be honest, there's a lot I did in the first portion of this story that I am not happy with, and that made it hard for me to continue writing it. I may go back and rewrite earlier chapters, but I may not. If I do decide to, I'll let you know. And hey, this is the biggest chapter I've ever posted in this story... so there's that. I guess. I can't promise that I'll update weekly, but I won't take that long again.**


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